Purina Kitten Chow
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FOOD COMPARISON: PURINA KITTEN CHOW AND WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA
So many of our clients feed Iams, Purina, Purina One, Purina Beneful, Science Diet, and other foods that
are recommended to them, and which have slick advertising campaigns telling everyone how incredible
these foods are. This image gets in your mind, and makes it look like a great food choice… until you read
the label! We encourage you to read the front page of our food handout, which tells you how to
understand your pet’s food label. Once you learn what sounds good in an ingredient list, and what
actually is good, you’re better able to choose the right food for your pet.
Below, we compare Purina Kitten Chow and Wellness Super5Mix Chicken & Rice, a higher-quality chicken-
based food. Questionable ingredients are in bold type, with explanation below. NOTE that most high
quality foods do not make (or NEED) a puppy or kitten specific formula!
PURINA KITTEN CHOW INGREDIENTS (Top 18 ingredients):
Poultry By-Product Meal, Rice Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Beef Tallow, Soybean Meal,
Ground Yellow Corn, Fish Meal, Brewers Dried Yeast, Animal Digest, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium
Phosphate, Phosphoric Acid, Salt, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate
Interpretation: The official definition of “Poultry By-Product Meal” is as follows: “Consists of the
ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, feet, undeveloped
eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good
processing practice.” Note that this is an inconsistent ingredient, because of the multiple organs used
and their constantly changing proportions. They are cheaper and less digestible than chicken or chicken
meal. It is also better to see a specific protein named, such as chicken, rather than the generic “poultry.”
Anything called a “by-product” means it is not deemed fit for human consumption, and may even contain
diseased or chemically tainted tissue. “Rice Flour” is a rice fragment which consists principally of the soft,
finely ground bolted meal obtained from milling rice (essentially the starch and gluten), together with fine
particles of rice bran and the offal from the “tail of the mill.” This is a highly pre-processed ingredient,
nearly devoid of all the naturally occurring vitamins. “Corn Gluten Meal” is the dried residue from corn
after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran. Not only is
this another corn fragment, it is added to pet food to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats (think
toxic waste!), which then holds waste in, stressing the kidneys and liver. “Wheat Flour” is highly
processed, just as “rice flour” above. Wheat is another ingredient that is believed to be a cause of pet
allergies. “Beef Tallow” comes from the tissue of cattle in the commercial process of rendering.
Obviously, the only cattle in a rendering plant are those deemed unfit for human consumption. Beef
Tallow is a saturated fat used mainly to flavor the food, to encourage the dogs to eat it. “Soybean Meal”
is obtained by grinding the flakes that remain after removal of most of the oil from soybeans. Not only is it
a fragment, it is a poor quality protein filler used because it is so cheap. It is also believed that soybeans
are a leading cause of allergies in pets. “Ground Yellow Corn” is the entire ear of corn, including the cob
but without the husk, ground up. Corn is a leading source of allergies in pets. “Fish Meal” denotes a
generic source. What kind of fish? Some are healthier than others. It is better to list a specific protein
source such as salmon meal or Menhaden fish meal, rather than the generic “fish meal.” “Animal Digest”
comes from the chemical or enzymatic treatment of “clean and undecomposed” animal tissue (in a
rendering plant). It says it cannot contain hair, horns, teeth, hooves or feathers, except in trace
amounts. Just as in “Animal Fat” (above), it can come from any type of animal, and from the same
questionable or even contaminated sources. “Calcium Carbonate” is a source of calcium, but that is what
raw bones are for! Calcium Carbonate is also an ingredient in many antacids. “Phosphoric Acid” is used
to acidify foods and beverages such as various colas, but not without controversy as to its health effects.
It provides a tangy taste, and being a mass produced chemical, is available cheaply and in large
quantities, unlike more expensive natural seasonings that give comparable flavors, such as ginger for
tanginess, or citric acid for sourness. “Salt” is not something we need to be adding to our pets’ food!
And why are all these other chemical and mineral supplements being added? Quality ingredients should
make most of them unnecessary… and how much of their nutritional value survives the cooking process?
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA (Top 18 ingredients):
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken Liver, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Whole Oats, Canola Oil,
Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed, Eggs, Peas, Taurine, Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Norwegian Kelp, Whole
Apples, Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes
Interpretation: There are essentially no objectionable ingredients in the top 18 in this food. Lots of
specific chicken proteins to start. Brown Rice is a superior carbohydrate source, much better than
processed white rice (which loses key nutrients during processing). Brown Rice is rich in B vitamins.
Ground Whole Oats are a good carbohydrate source, rich in B vitamins, a high quality protein, and easy on
the stomach. By using Brown Rice and Oatmeal, this food avoids the wheat, corn, white rice (often just
fragments) and soy commonly used, which are difficult to digest and are leading allergens in pet food.
Cranberries are good for the urinary tract, Blueberries are high in antioxidants. Flaxseed is the whole
ground seed, not a “meal” or fragment of the seed. Flaxseed is rich in essential fatty acids and B
vitamins, and Taurine is an important addition to cat food. The other ingredients listed here are whole
foods, minimally processed, rounding out the variety of nutrition in the food. A Salmon, Turkey and Herring
Oil Formula is also available.
So many of our clients feed Iams, Purina, Purina One, Purina Beneful, Science Diet, and other foods that
are recommended to them, and which have slick advertising campaigns telling everyone how incredible
these foods are. This image gets in your mind, and makes it look like a great food choice… until you read
the label! We encourage you to read the front page of our food handout, which tells you how to
understand your pet’s food label. Once you learn what sounds good in an ingredient list, and what
actually is good, you’re better able to choose the right food for your pet.
Below, we compare Purina Kitten Chow and Wellness Super5Mix Chicken & Rice, a higher-quality chicken-
based food. Questionable ingredients are in bold type, with explanation below. NOTE that most high
quality foods do not make (or NEED) a puppy or kitten specific formula!
PURINA KITTEN CHOW INGREDIENTS (Top 18 ingredients):
Poultry By-Product Meal, Rice Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Beef Tallow, Soybean Meal,
Ground Yellow Corn, Fish Meal, Brewers Dried Yeast, Animal Digest, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium
Phosphate, Phosphoric Acid, Salt, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate
Interpretation: The official definition of “Poultry By-Product Meal” is as follows: “Consists of the
ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, feet, undeveloped
eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good
processing practice.” Note that this is an inconsistent ingredient, because of the multiple organs used
and their constantly changing proportions. They are cheaper and less digestible than chicken or chicken
meal. It is also better to see a specific protein named, such as chicken, rather than the generic “poultry.”
Anything called a “by-product” means it is not deemed fit for human consumption, and may even contain
diseased or chemically tainted tissue. “Rice Flour” is a rice fragment which consists principally of the soft,
finely ground bolted meal obtained from milling rice (essentially the starch and gluten), together with fine
particles of rice bran and the offal from the “tail of the mill.” This is a highly pre-processed ingredient,
nearly devoid of all the naturally occurring vitamins. “Corn Gluten Meal” is the dried residue from corn
after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran. Not only is
this another corn fragment, it is added to pet food to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats (think
toxic waste!), which then holds waste in, stressing the kidneys and liver. “Wheat Flour” is highly
processed, just as “rice flour” above. Wheat is another ingredient that is believed to be a cause of pet
allergies. “Beef Tallow” comes from the tissue of cattle in the commercial process of rendering.
Obviously, the only cattle in a rendering plant are those deemed unfit for human consumption. Beef
Tallow is a saturated fat used mainly to flavor the food, to encourage the dogs to eat it. “Soybean Meal”
is obtained by grinding the flakes that remain after removal of most of the oil from soybeans. Not only is it
a fragment, it is a poor quality protein filler used because it is so cheap. It is also believed that soybeans
are a leading cause of allergies in pets. “Ground Yellow Corn” is the entire ear of corn, including the cob
but without the husk, ground up. Corn is a leading source of allergies in pets. “Fish Meal” denotes a
generic source. What kind of fish? Some are healthier than others. It is better to list a specific protein
source such as salmon meal or Menhaden fish meal, rather than the generic “fish meal.” “Animal Digest”
comes from the chemical or enzymatic treatment of “clean and undecomposed” animal tissue (in a
rendering plant). It says it cannot contain hair, horns, teeth, hooves or feathers, except in trace
amounts. Just as in “Animal Fat” (above), it can come from any type of animal, and from the same
questionable or even contaminated sources. “Calcium Carbonate” is a source of calcium, but that is what
raw bones are for! Calcium Carbonate is also an ingredient in many antacids. “Phosphoric Acid” is used
to acidify foods and beverages such as various colas, but not without controversy as to its health effects.
It provides a tangy taste, and being a mass produced chemical, is available cheaply and in large
quantities, unlike more expensive natural seasonings that give comparable flavors, such as ginger for
tanginess, or citric acid for sourness. “Salt” is not something we need to be adding to our pets’ food!
And why are all these other chemical and mineral supplements being added? Quality ingredients should
make most of them unnecessary… and how much of their nutritional value survives the cooking process?
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA (Top 18 ingredients):
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken Liver, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Whole Oats, Canola Oil,
Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed, Eggs, Peas, Taurine, Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Norwegian Kelp, Whole
Apples, Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes
Interpretation: There are essentially no objectionable ingredients in the top 18 in this food. Lots of
specific chicken proteins to start. Brown Rice is a superior carbohydrate source, much better than
processed white rice (which loses key nutrients during processing). Brown Rice is rich in B vitamins.
Ground Whole Oats are a good carbohydrate source, rich in B vitamins, a high quality protein, and easy on
the stomach. By using Brown Rice and Oatmeal, this food avoids the wheat, corn, white rice (often just
fragments) and soy commonly used, which are difficult to digest and are leading allergens in pet food.
Cranberries are good for the urinary tract, Blueberries are high in antioxidants. Flaxseed is the whole
ground seed, not a “meal” or fragment of the seed. Flaxseed is rich in essential fatty acids and B
vitamins, and Taurine is an important addition to cat food. The other ingredients listed here are whole
foods, minimally processed, rounding out the variety of nutrition in the food. A Salmon, Turkey and Herring
Oil Formula is also available.